Mahedi holds batting accountable

Bangladesh reached Christchurch on Sunday for the second ODI against hosts New Zealand after losing the opening match of the three-match series in Dunedin.

The visitors travelled four hours by road as a majority of the tourists' contingent wanted to avoid the turbulence on flights, which is common in the island nation.

Bangladesh had travelled to New Zealand with hopes of rewriting history by breaking the jinx of not having won a game against the hosts in their own backyard in 27 attempts.

The Tigers were thumped by eight wickets in the first ODI in Dunedin on Saturday following a disastrous batting performance that led to the visitors folding for 131. Quality seam bowling from Trent Boult and James Neesham also played a part behind the Tigers' helpless surrender.

Off-spinning all-rounder Sheikh Mahedi Hasan, who made his debut in the first ODI, told the media in a virtual press conference that Bangladesh were aiming to stage a comeback in the second ODI, especially in regards to the batting department.

"You need to score runs when playing in New Zealand. Scores around 260 to 280 are defendable. It is the responsibility of the batting unit to put that score on the board," Mahedi said on Sunday.

Mahedi showed a glimpse of his talent by opening up his account with a six off Mitchell Santner then pulling Trent Boult for a boundary. However, the right-hander departed for just 14 runs and remained wicketless with the ball.

"A player always tries to make a mark on his debut game. I got an ODI debut after playing cricket for so many years, so it is a memorable day for me. But it would have been better if I could have contributed for the team and if the team had won," a frustrated Mahedi added.

Bangladesh will take on New Zealand in Christchurch on Tuesday ahead of the third and final game of in Wellington on March 26. The ODI series will be followed by three T20Is to be played on March 28, 30 and April 1 in Hamilton, Napier, and Auckland respectively.